What Could Have Been: The Empire Strikes Back

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
  • Taking a look at the original version of The Empire Strikes Back.
    OwnASaber: www.ownasaber.com/B&B
    Use Promo Code 20BB for 20% OFF eligible items
    ⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
    0:00 Intro
    1:08 Splinter of the Mind's Eye
    3:11 Almost Selling Star Wars to Fox
    4:25 Leigh Brackett
    5:12 Hoth
    6:28 Love Triangle
    6:48 Force-bond
    7:20 Yoda
    8:24 Luke’s Father and Sister
    10:47 Vader’s Castle
    11:18 Cloud City
    12:51 Lucas’ Rewrite
    13:45 Writer Lawrence Kasdan
    14:31 Director Irvin Kershner
    15:44 Producer Gary Kurtz
    17:34 Sequels and Prequels
    Thumbnail art by Morgan Yon
    www.artstation.com/morganyon
    🔴 Subscribe for more videos just like this: shorturl.at/atCD9
    #starwars #empirestrikesback
  • Krátké a kreslené filmy

Komentáře • 641

  • @KevyNova
    @KevyNova Před 3 měsíci +252

    “The coordinates, man, the coordinates!”
    -Jake Vader

  • @Hal-uq5qv
    @Hal-uq5qv Před 3 měsíci +166

    Man, that was a lot of stressful bts for Lucas at the time. Being a creator of the IP was really hard work. No wonder he had stress related chest pains, I mean who wouldnt

    • @stellviahohenheim
      @stellviahohenheim Před 3 měsíci +23

      Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie because George Lucas delegated a lot of the production to others instead of trying to do it all by himself and yet when people talk about the creator of Star Wars only his name comes up

    • @ARandomInternetUser08
      @ARandomInternetUser08 Před 2 měsíci +10

      @@stellviahohenheim without him, there's no Star Wars. Period.

    • @KaitainCPS
      @KaitainCPS Před 2 měsíci +11

      It honestly changed his entire outlook. Until 1980, Lucas is a bold, visionary filmmaker (and that includes writing and production work on Raiders of the Lost Ark). After 1980, he becomes a much more conservative filmmaker, and also decides to bring Star Wars to a close in 1983 (he had previously planned to keep the story going with the Luke/Leia/Solo group for several more movies).

    • @barkley8285
      @barkley8285 Před 2 měsíci +5

      @@KaitainCPS Lucas in 1977-1981 was a beast and then work overload, divorce, and being nearly bankrupt changed him and that caused temple of doom being kinda shit then later 1-2 being completely cg, race cars, kid actors, symbiotic relationships, and other garble as lucas was a different man. Episode 3 was the only time after Raiders that lucas kinda gave a shit again.

    • @user-hc9qv9yb9m
      @user-hc9qv9yb9m Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@stellviahohenheimBest sequel

  • @TheAlphaLegionnaire
    @TheAlphaLegionnaire Před 3 měsíci +298

    I like that you refer to Vader’s communication with the Emperor as “FaceTiming” lol
    You’re not even wrong 😂

    • @Bulletsandblockbusters
      @Bulletsandblockbusters  Před 3 měsíci +35

      Haha was waiting for someone to point this out

    • @Derpy1969
      @Derpy1969 Před 3 měsíci +7

      Holo-time.

    • @poppers7317
      @poppers7317 Před 3 měsíci +5

      Those Sith are such Apple hipsters.

    • @KevinWhite-zb5os
      @KevinWhite-zb5os Před 2 měsíci +4

      On a Star Destroyer capable of hyperspace, you'd think they'd have a better communication array. All I'm sayin'.@@Bulletsandblockbusters

    • @randallbesch2424
      @randallbesch2424 Před 2 měsíci +4

      @@KevinWhite-zb5os they had to move out of the asteroid field first.

  • @SaturnCanuck
    @SaturnCanuck Před 3 měsíci +161

    That was a great insight. One thing, be careful when you say ILM had “nothing to show for it”. They did. They had built two, advanced, complicated computerized motion control cameras and most of the models. They had no footage to show, however.

    • @KaitainCPS
      @KaitainCPS Před 2 měsíci +16

      Yep. Star Wars was one of the biggest R&D projects of all time.

    • @torrenofamber
      @torrenofamber Před 2 měsíci +9

      Nothing to show for it other than revolutionizing sci-fi movies and changing the world!!! Looks like you have nothing to show for it when it's a camera, a motorized rail system and this wall of lights and film stuff. A computer doesn't look like much, but it does so much.

    • @toddnolastname4485
      @toddnolastname4485 Před 2 měsíci +4

      I'm pretty sure when they nothing to show for it, they mean literally no footage to show for it. So, it's just true.

    • @SaturnCanuck
      @SaturnCanuck Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@toddnolastname4485 They had two shots, but thats not what he said

    • @phill6859
      @phill6859 Před 2 měsíci +2

      ​@@SaturnCanuckneither of the first two shots required the dykstraflex they had spent all the time and money on. They shot them quickly as they had nothing to show and thought it might help

  • @aurorauplinks
    @aurorauplinks Před 3 měsíci +46

    The Empire STrikes back really is a great film. I love the openning of the droids launching, something about that is so subtle yet fun

  • @alisterfolson
    @alisterfolson Před 3 měsíci +49

    Forgot to mention the rights to the toys George brokered. As a 70's kid, this was part of it, for sure.

    • @thecandlemaker1329
      @thecandlemaker1329 Před 7 dny +1

      Moichandising - where the real money from the movie is made!

  • @hobbs1701a
    @hobbs1701a Před 3 měsíci +50

    Let us all take a moment of silence to honor Bracken!! She paved the way for one of the greatest sequels of all time!!!

    • @sjdrifter72
      @sjdrifter72 Před 2 měsíci +9

      Brackett

    • @agfagaevart
      @agfagaevart Před měsícem +1

      not really, because her draft was re-written many times.

    • @hobbs1701a
      @hobbs1701a Před měsícem +1

      @@sjdrifter72 Oops, a typo

  • @MercerVerse
    @MercerVerse Před 3 měsíci +120

    People in my generation (Gen Z) love the prequels, and while I appreciate certain things about them, Empire Strikes Back is, for me, the definitive Star Wars movie.
    One of the greatest movies in cinema, period.

    • @nigelpisswater484
      @nigelpisswater484 Před 3 měsíci +19

      I like the prequels as "Star Wars" movies, they're not great movies by a writing perspective but the way they influenced and shaped the entire way we view star wars cannot be understated, Empire however transcends being a good star wars movie, Its an amazing movie in general in terms of acting, writing, effects.

    • @aurorauplinks
      @aurorauplinks Před 3 měsíci +4

      @@nigelpisswater484their will be good star wars movies again. it is only a matter of time. but yes, i too like the prequels. I actually wouldnt mind if someone built up a good script to work with the best ideas for the prequels and clone wars, to create a new prequel reboot someday, decades later perhaps, as long as everyone was good at what they were doing. I always prefer the classics, but sometimes a really good reboot that takes all the lessons from previous films and puts heart into it, well, theres room to always do or do not.

    • @highlanderc
      @highlanderc Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@aurorauplinksNo.... that ship has sailed... 1-6 is good and we are lucky we got them.

    • @ARandomInternetUser08
      @ARandomInternetUser08 Před 2 měsíci +3

      RotS is still the best.
      To me.

    • @timewarpdrive77
      @timewarpdrive77 Před 2 měsíci +2

      The prequels influence on the expanded universe is also something to appreciate; both of Matthew Stover's PT novels are excellent (for instance)

  • @eskanda3434
    @eskanda3434 Před 3 měsíci +160

    The Empire Strikes Back is a perfect cinematic masterpiece

    • @randallbesch2424
      @randallbesch2424 Před 2 měsíci +9

      And the darker middle movie of a triple series.

    • @Lbf5677
      @Lbf5677 Před 2 měsíci +4

      No, that's what Kevin Smith said.
      In reality the new hope is the best one

    • @goldman77700
      @goldman77700 Před 2 měsíci +12

      @@Lbf5677 Nah. Empire all day.

    • @Lbf5677
      @Lbf5677 Před 2 měsíci +4

      @@goldman77700 it's mostly just running away.
      The fights in the bespin corridors are lame.
      When Han solo gets frozen it's mostly chewbaccas noises and cheesy dialogue. It ain't bad overall but nowhere near new hope

    • @goldman77700
      @goldman77700 Před 2 měsíci +8

      @@Lbf5677 Bah, Yoda is awesome. And Lando. Vader and Luke duel is iconic. So is the father reveal. World-building is amazing. Character development of the main trio is waaayy better. New hope they felt chars in a story, and Empire they felt like human beings. The less Lucas is involved creatively the better, the opposite is how we got the Prequels.

  • @John-ns5se
    @John-ns5se Před 3 měsíci +223

    I never would have thought how completely different Empire strikes back would have been. The original storyboard has a lot of cool concepts and ideas but I’m glad with what we ended up with. I’m also glad that there were people that challenged George with his ideas and told him “No” when things got too extreme. That is something the prequels needed.
    Most of you misunderstood my comment so I’ll preface that I LOVE the Prequels as much as I love the Orginal trilogy. But looking back now as an adult you can see the flaws and how things could have been done better or different.

    • @KidPrarchord95
      @KidPrarchord95 Před 3 měsíci +9

      I think the prequels are better off without that. Perhaps they would've been better if people gave Lucas more push-back, but as it stands, I and many other still like them more than the OT.

    • @John-ns5se
      @John-ns5se Před 3 měsíci +11

      @@KidPrarchord95 don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the prequels and think they are better than Disney Star Wars. But I think George went to far in a few places and would have been better if he had people challenge some of his ideas when things went to extreme. Like with Jar Jar Binks. I think if he didn’t try to make his character to comical people would have liked him better . But I’ll always love the Prequels as much as I love the orginals

    • @AvelierPlays
      @AvelierPlays Před 3 měsíci +9

      Prequels are good as they are, they are different. There was a 20 year gap in technology, movie making techniques and other things.
      The prequels were never meant to be and feel like the OT because they were also set in a different time too.

    • @DontrelleRoosevelt
      @DontrelleRoosevelt Před 3 měsíci

      Who is Never?

    • @thejoin4687
      @thejoin4687 Před 3 měsíci +3

      @@John-ns5se Here's a controversial take: Perhaps the problem was that there wasn't enough Jar Jar. Binks should have been a central hero rather than a redundant clown, like the droids in Star Wars IV and the hobbits in Fellowship---we see events of galactic importance unfold from the perspective of the little people. Jar Jar really could have been the key to everything.

  • @matthewk122
    @matthewk122 Před 3 měsíci +51

    Love empire strikes back

  • @worldwideinterests1
    @worldwideinterests1 Před 2 měsíci +14

    This is incredibly well done. Most people who put these kind of videos together do shoddy research and rely on a lot of hearsay but this one is spot on.
    Impressive... Most impressive.

  • @goshdarnchicken
    @goshdarnchicken Před měsícem +3

    9:30 Mark Hamill has stated on multiple occaisions that his injury from the car accident and the wampa attack trom Empire are completely unrelated. He has also stated that the injuries incurred during the accident were greatly exaggerated in the years following ESB's release.

  • @bensneb360
    @bensneb360 Před 3 měsíci +110

    Just like how they took George Lucas's original Star Wars script and turned it into a comic, I love to see them take the original Empire Strikes Back script and turn it into a comic, that be interesting… The movie we got is one of the best of all time, so it all worked out

    • @matt_afact
      @matt_afact Před 3 měsíci +7

      I have the Annotated Screenplays they put out in 97 to promote the special edition, it has cool first draft stuff and all the Special Edition changes on the sides of the dialogue. I always imagined the "Alternate" versions in my head when I read them.

    • @crazyinsanepenguin
      @crazyinsanepenguin Před 3 měsíci +5

      Also I'd like to see Lucas's original sequel trilogy adapted into a comic too. It'll probably never happen, but I think everyone would be really interested in reading it

    • @FreedomforHaiti
      @FreedomforHaiti Před 3 měsíci +3

      A comic adaptation of Bracket's "Empire" treatment would be amazing! She had one scene of Chewbacca fighting a wampa (which makes Chewie look small). Lots of other interesting stuff, too.

    • @IAMYAMAMA
      @IAMYAMAMA Před 3 měsíci +2

      What was the comic?

    • @mattstorrs757
      @mattstorrs757 Před 3 měsíci +2

      ​@@IAMYAMAMA It was adapted by Marvel Comics and became an ongoing series.

  • @MartyMcTube
    @MartyMcTube Před 2 měsíci +7

    It's rare to learn new interesting facts about star wars, you delivered many.

  • @haileyshannon7548
    @haileyshannon7548 Před 2 měsíci +14

    I remember the old theories about what the Clone Wars was. Such as Obi-Wan (OB-1) and Owen (O-1) being clones.
    Pet gargoyles?

    • @thecandlemaker1329
      @thecandlemaker1329 Před 7 dny

      Pet gargoyles sound rad, so it's no surprise Disney cut them out when they finally showed us the lava castle.

  • @sloanlance
    @sloanlance Před 2 měsíci +12

    Remember: Chewbacca died on Sernpidal while saving the life of Anakin Solo, the third child of Leia and Han. This occurred in the first year of the Yuuzhan Vong War.
    That's from the series of books which is NOW non-canonical. Thanks to Disney. I have many years of books from the Star Wars series that WERE canonical at the time. When Disney took over, they decided they wanted to take the story in a different direction, rendering those books non-canonical.

  • @cable7152
    @cable7152 Před 3 měsíci +9

    Sorry, I heard nothing after, "Vader lives with his pet gargoyles." That's some crazy shit. I did hear the facetime joke though, that was amazing.

  • @detroitdiezel7856
    @detroitdiezel7856 Před 3 měsíci +9

    Wow! Another great job!! I'm SO glad none of this happens, as Empire is still one of my all time favorite films.

  • @RichardAucoin
    @RichardAucoin Před 3 měsíci +6

    this is your best work! i knew so much of this going into this but still learned a couple new things and you laid it out so well. it’s amazing how many pitfalls happened during SW and ESB and how close they were to being sloppy messes and yet they both redefined what movies are and could be and ESB ends up being the best sequel of all time (followed closely by Aliens). that reason and how many different crew all simultaneously hit home runs, is what makes SW and ESB two of my all time fav movies.

  • @DarthWinterMadness
    @DarthWinterMadness Před 2 měsíci +5

    Not sure if anyone already mentioned it, but the scars on Hamill could've been explained by fighting with rebellion off-screen. The Wampa scene wasn't written to cover for that.
    Cheers from France! 🍻

  • @tyrannozilla
    @tyrannozilla Před 2 měsíci +2

    I've read some of Brackett's script, and have come to realize that Disney might've read it. I know that sounds crazy, but it truly feels like one of the Disney-Wars (I refuse to call them sequels) films. The whole sub-plot of Luke finding a crystal in his lightsaber that contains a map containing the location of his father is very similar to TFA's map to Luke sub-plot. Also, the Emperor is described as wearing "a robe of gold cloth." Remind you of anyone?

  • @jayeckberg774
    @jayeckberg774 Před 25 dny +2

    Additional fact. The president of Fox lost his job for the deal with Lucas giving him more money for a better percentage of the take. Fox wanted the sequel rights back. In retaliation for the firing, Lucas took Raiders to Paramount instead of Fox as he originally intended.

  • @assemblyrequired7342
    @assemblyrequired7342 Před 29 dny +2

    Mimban is actually reused in the Expanded Universe as the location of one first major sites of the Clone Wars. Mimbanese natives and mining guild special interests engage in one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Clone Wars, with the Republic and the Separatists aiding each respectively. Originally in the EU content, Mimban was completely Separatist.
    It is hinted in Solo that eventually, the Empire turns on the Mimbanese natives to make sure that the mining continues unabated, and the natives are none-too-happy about it, which is confirmed in later expanded media.

  • @Moochtv
    @Moochtv Před 13 dny +2

    I remember Dave prowse saying Darth Vader was gonna be revealed to be Luke Skywalker's father in 'Star Wars 2' on either Swap Shop or Blue Peter (BBC1) in 1978.

  • @joh2434
    @joh2434 Před 2 měsíci +44

    '...with both men challenging Lucas when his ideas didn't work or didn't make any sense' THIS. This is what the prequels needed.

    • @Khultan
      @Khultan Před 2 měsíci

      💯💯💯💯💯💯💯🎯

    • @josephforrest3713
      @josephforrest3713 Před 2 měsíci +1

      The prequels are by FAR the best films. OG Star Wars needs rebooting. It's aged HORRIBLY!

    • @gbrogo7139
      @gbrogo7139 Před 2 měsíci +13

      @@josephforrest3713what an L take

    • @jimmyboy131
      @jimmyboy131 Před 2 měsíci +1

      100% disagree. How would you update them, with a bunch if CGI? There are already too many CGI heavy movies today, and it gets tiresome.

    • @joh2434
      @joh2434 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@jimmyboy131 I never suggested updating them. They exist and were largely bad but they can’t be undone

  • @indianajones4321
    @indianajones4321 Před 3 měsíci +12

    Although I love what we got, having Lando be a clone from the original clone wars concept from pre-2002 would have been very interesting

    • @dugroznostalgia
      @dugroznostalgia Před 23 dny +2

      What was the "original" clones concept?

    • @indianajones4321
      @indianajones4321 Před 22 dny +2

      @@dugroznostalgia it was where the galaxy came under attack from mad clones who unleashed the clone army on the Republic. Primarily it was alluded to in many EU Star Wars media in the 90s such as novels and comics, but never actually shown.

    • @dugroznostalgia
      @dugroznostalgia Před 22 dny +2

      @@indianajones4321 I read some of those a LONG time ago! I believe there was also a clone of Luke named “Luuke “ 🤓

    • @indianajones4321
      @indianajones4321 Před 22 dny +2

      @@dugroznostalgia yes there was created by Joruus C’Baoth in the Thrawn trilogy

  • @TwinRiver100
    @TwinRiver100 Před 3 měsíci +8

    2:39 (Splinter of the mind's eye)
    I listened to an audiobook verison of this floating around on CZcams a year ago.
    i've heard the title and i think seen the cover for years, but never read it.
    I think the audiobook was made with Ai or something as far as voicework. I forget the exact details. But I mainly sought it out becasue i couldn't find an official audiobook/drama of it at the time. So this was a relief and really accessible.
    book itself, I really liked it. Felt a lot like what the other Extended Universe would end up becoming. Thought it was a nice scaled down adventure story. Also, i didn't catch that Vader's hand got cut off in the book. I guess i must've missed that detail.
    still, had a good time with it.

  • @angellohector
    @angellohector Před 3 měsíci +62

    Vader, kills a rebel, then walks past Leia and tilts his helmet...
    Vader to Leia: Good day ma'am...

  • @bettersteps
    @bettersteps Před měsícem

    I read Splinters of the Minds Eye in high school. A fun story that made an impact of me. Today, I love just about everything sci-fi. Star Wars and Clifford Simak helped me to embrace sci-fi.

  • @gamewithadam7235
    @gamewithadam7235 Před 2 měsíci +5

    Vader lava castle sounds so cool, and in line with Mustafar.

  • @indigoyarkindell968
    @indigoyarkindell968 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Wish they would have kept the clone idea in there. It makes the "I had no choice" line perfect.

  • @Concreteowl
    @Concreteowl Před 3 měsíci +3

    George didn't withhold the Vader secret from Bracket. He hadn't come up with it yet. It wasn't part of his original plan.

  • @TheFantaFruitTwist
    @TheFantaFruitTwist Před 3 měsíci +6

    "The coordinates, man" makes sense if you read it as old school English military man and not as an Americam teenager/The Big Lebowski

    • @dclipper8052
      @dclipper8052 Před 2 měsíci

      Exactly. And even more sense when you imagine David Prowse saying it!

  • @michaeldoliveira720
    @michaeldoliveira720 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Seems like Empire is a much simpler movie, which is probably one of the reasons it's so damn good.

  • @kdusel1991
    @kdusel1991 Před 3 měsíci +12

    ESB is my favorite star wars movie!

    • @wet-read
      @wet-read Před 3 měsíci +1

      It is the best one, easily.

    • @jasonjansen9831
      @jasonjansen9831 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@wet-read Agreed. Empire is so much better than every other Star Wars movie (including the original) it's laughable. The only reason the franchise has endured so long is the strength of this film.

  • @noneed4me2n7
    @noneed4me2n7 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Splinter of a minds eye, read it from my local library when I was pretty young. My growing nerd noticed many inconsistencies from the films.

  • @mbowling25
    @mbowling25 Před 3 měsíci +27

    Awesome video. 🔥 but Empire wound up exponentially better than the “what could have been” version. It’s a shame Lucas had such a bad experience with it, because it led to a rushed Episode VI and no more SW movies for 16 years.

    • @Bulletsandblockbusters
      @Bulletsandblockbusters  Před 3 měsíci +5

      Agreed

    • @MikeCaputo1984
      @MikeCaputo1984 Před 3 měsíci +4

      @bullets would love to see “what could have been” a ROTJ that didn’t suffer from these setbacks!

    • @theguybehindyou4762
      @theguybehindyou4762 Před 3 měsíci +1

      No muppets or ewoks? 😃

    • @timewarpdrive77
      @timewarpdrive77 Před 2 měsíci +2

      Just wish he managed to get someone else to direct the prequels and to get someone to bounce story ideas off of. They're so close to being good movies

    • @Theosake
      @Theosake Před 2 měsíci

      @@timewarpdrive77They’re fine as they are. He had plenty of help with the PT and he asked other directors to make them but they said no. In the end it’s good he did, because he told the story he wanted.

  • @brianjohnson2851
    @brianjohnson2851 Před měsícem

    I was blithely unaware of these details. Thank you for providing such exhaustive elucidation on my favorite movie of the original trilogy!

  • @TheChiefOrg13
    @TheChiefOrg13 Před 2 měsíci

    Awesome video with good insights on the behind the scenes process of the film. I had read about Lucas' near heart attack during filming of a New Hope and was glad to see it talked about here

  • @Nefylym
    @Nefylym Před 2 měsíci +21

    great video man, i'm enjoying it a lot! one thing i would humbly bring to your attention: it was Marcia Lucas, his wife, who got the idea to kill off Obiwan because the plot needed some more dramatic weight and they were editing the film together and George decided that was actually a pretty great idea... before anyone sheds tears, Sir McGuinness was certainly not sorry about it as he reportedly hated his role as much as Harrison Ford hated his own... geez, actors can be such entitled drama queens lol

    • @maricallo6143
      @maricallo6143 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Alec then also hated his cca 1% from film's earnings, I suppose....

    • @Nefylym
      @Nefylym Před 2 měsíci

      @@maricallo6143 regrettably i have no data on the late Sir's financials, however i do recall reading that both he and Ford felt the characters and script were too amateur and provencial for their artistic ambitions, i'm a huge fan of star wars just for the record

    • @johncarl472
      @johncarl472 Před měsícem

      @@Nefylym that's exaggeration that he hated his role.

  • @Evil__Bacon
    @Evil__Bacon Před 3 měsíci +15

    Loving these videos man, keep it up 🔥🔥🔥

  • @chunkysaurus785
    @chunkysaurus785 Před 3 měsíci +28

    Still the greatest movie of all time

    • @theantone7476
      @theantone7476 Před 3 měsíci

      Wrong

    • @FriendZone75
      @FriendZone75 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@theantone7476 what's right then?

    • @theantone7476
      @theantone7476 Před 3 měsíci

      ​@@FriendZone75 It's not THE greatest. Maybe one but not the only greatest

  • @johnpittsii7524
    @johnpittsii7524 Před 3 měsíci +7

    Thanks for the amazing video. Big Star wars fan ❤

  • @s8r5dad
    @s8r5dad Před 2 měsíci +2

    Best Star Wars movie made and one of the best movies ever made!!!!

  • @user-ws2ez3pp8i
    @user-ws2ez3pp8i Před 2 měsíci

    Awesome video! I learned a lot of stuff that I didn’t previously know about ESB. One thing that you mentioned at the end was how we never got to see what Lucas would have done with the sequel trilogy, but there is a book by Paul Duncan that goes into that.

  • @DolkkarToyznstuff
    @DolkkarToyznstuff Před 2 měsíci

    Always so much more to learn about the history of Star Wars and what could have and might have been.

  • @maxordman4100
    @maxordman4100 Před měsícem +1

    Great story! This is definitely one of my favorite movies ever made and it’s always cool to learn more about it. It’s definitely interesting to learn about the struggles that Lucas, and others went through. Good work on this project! I love all 6 classic Star Wars movies and I also have a soft spot for Force Awakens but that’s where it ends for me. Still love the overall franchise though.

  • @FrancisXLord
    @FrancisXLord Před 3 měsíci +33

    I read Splinter of the Mind's Eye as a kid. I remember actually feeling cheated reading it as Han Solo was absent. How could it be 'Star Wars' without Han Solo? Made no sense to me (let's face it, still doesn't).
    I had no idea that Gilbert Taylor (cinematographer for the first film) gave Lucas any trouble, but I'm not entirely surprised. He'd been working as a cinematographer for nearly 30 years before he worked on Star Wars. He was the cinematographer for such classics as Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night as well as Hitchcock's Frenzy. I would imagine that Taylor's resistance to Lucas's ideas resulted in better results than they would have gotten had he always listened to Lucas.
    Whatever a person achieves in their life, however successful they may be, one should never blindly follow what they say - particularly if it contradicts your own understanding. Brilliant people can still be wrong, however big their ego might be, whether they can comprehend they could be wrong or not. Lucas wasn't always right, even back then. His greatest works were when he listened to the experts he hired, his biggest failures were when he didn't.

    • @matthewgaudet4064
      @matthewgaudet4064 Před 3 měsíci +1

      Gil was right about how soft looking Star Wars was being shot, considering Lucas went back years later with digital tools and sharpened those scenes. He didn't like shooting anamorphic either he thought the distortion was garbage.

    • @FrancisXLord
      @FrancisXLord Před 3 měsíci +4

      @@matthewgaudet4064 That's interesting. I actually like the soft scenes (I only watch the 4K77 version), I think the softness adds a kind of timeless ethereal quality.

    • @db8658
      @db8658 Před 3 měsíci +1

      Well stated.

    • @agfagaevart
      @agfagaevart Před měsícem

      Taylor was wrong, as someone has mentioned, the softness gives SW an ethereal and mythical look which Lucas was after;
      a kind of "knights of the round table" effect as seen in paintings by the Pre Raphaelites and their ilk.
      When Lucas was filming SW most of the British crews were condescending towards him, (saying things like "Wanker!" after / before takes) refusing to work overtime even a few minutes, in order to finish scenes. Constant tea breaks, etc. Taylor looked upon him as some young upstart from America, who didn't know what he was doing. When he should've respected the director's vision.

    • @FrancisXLord
      @FrancisXLord Před měsícem

      @@agfagaevart Hey, do you know that every time a film is made in the UK by Americans, the UK crew get a base wage, whatever their role? They don't get any percentage share, they get whatever the going BECTU rate is at the time for their work. They don't work overtime for a few minutes because they're invariably not paid for those minutes. US filmmakers come over here, taking advantage of our tax breaks, then f*** off back across the pond where they bask in the glory and the fortune enabled them by our base paid film crews.
      They should have respected his vision? They didn't know his vision. Did you not hear Mark Hamill speak about the fact that not a single extra understood what was going on in the scenes where they all got medals in the end? He had to explain to it them. What's more, with all the studios who passed on Lucas's vision, were they any different in not respecting his vision? Few did at the time.
      If he wanted his crew to 'respect his vision' he should have shared his vision instead of just telling people to stand there and do that.

  • @HumorNWaffles
    @HumorNWaffles Před 2 měsíci +6

    "The Legends are canon, always."

  • @CharlesReacts
    @CharlesReacts Před 3 měsíci +4

    Wow, so interesting. Keep up the great work man!

  • @brucecrawford_17
    @brucecrawford_17 Před 3 měsíci +5

    Thank you for this great video! 🙏

  • @Iron-Bridge
    @Iron-Bridge Před 2 měsíci

    Very fascinating background information. Just as interesting as the film itself. Hard to believe there was so much tension and stress behind the scenes.

  • @Roboheart1119
    @Roboheart1119 Před 3 měsíci +1

    I’ve seen ALOT of these videos and all about empire before. I did not know most of what you covered here. You got me 🤟

  • @haydentcem
    @haydentcem Před 3 měsíci +2

    Funnily enough, this vid dropped on my birthday! And ESB is one of my fave movies of all time!

  • @Franniiv3
    @Franniiv3 Před 3 měsíci +5

    Awesome vid! I much prefer the released version to the Crystal MacGuffin plot!

    • @tyrannozilla
      @tyrannozilla Před 3 měsíci +1

      That crystal map read like something Abrams would conceive. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Abrams or Disney read Brackett's draft because that's what it felt like.

  • @reznik232
    @reznik232 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Welcome back BB. Hope you had a great break. 🙂👍

  • @TheNedH
    @TheNedH Před 2 měsíci

    Great stuff! Another note: Rio Bravo was also directed by Howard Hawks. Yes, John Wayne was in it, but Leigh Brackett was working for Hawks again, in that instance.

  • @benisrael2948
    @benisrael2948 Před 2 měsíci +1

    This is by far my favorite Star Wars sequel

  • @droobie_
    @droobie_ Před 3 měsíci +1

    That was a wild ride

  • @machinesnoires
    @machinesnoires Před 3 měsíci

    Excellent report, with so much new elements. Thx.

    • @Bulletsandblockbusters
      @Bulletsandblockbusters  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Glad you enjoyed it

    • @machinesnoires
      @machinesnoires Před 3 měsíci

      @@Bulletsandblockbusters I didn't know about the details of production problems during ESB, and I didn't know Lucas was not satisfied with Kurtz from New Hope. I still believe it was a good choice to keep him. ROJ was good, that's the forst one I saw in 83, but I wonder what it could have been with Kurtz and Lucas trying to compromise both. (Kurtz ideas was too dark, and Lucas too easy (the Empire is so clumsy).

  • @notagooglesimp8722
    @notagooglesimp8722 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Respect for Lucas not planning to recast Luke if Hamil couldn't film anymore from the accident.

  • @Akanint
    @Akanint Před 3 měsíci +2

    Hey. That's a neat-lookin Sailor Moon Lightsaber in the ad at the beginning of the video. I didn't know they made those.

    • @Poizenne
      @Poizenne Před 17 dny

      The crescent moon is pretty cool. If I had the money I'd get it, being a fan of both series.

  • @Omar-wq9dz
    @Omar-wq9dz Před 3 měsíci +270

    What we got is still the best Star Wars movie ever made. The only problem I have is the cliffhanger ending, but it’s more of a pet peeve as I prefer movies have proper conclusions

    • @TheSuperQuail
      @TheSuperQuail Před 3 měsíci +21

      Han Solo should have been killed off instead of frozen to be honest. His character arc was already complete.

    • @Paul_1971
      @Paul_1971 Před 3 měsíci +12

      @@TheSuperQuail How was it?

    • @Paul_1971
      @Paul_1971 Před 3 měsíci +12

      It was a looong 3 year wait!

    • @willhubert2319
      @willhubert2319 Před 3 měsíci +25

      That’s an interesting take. I honestly really like a proper cliffhanger like this one where there is a complete journey so it feels like a full movie but also has more story to be told, leaving you excited for the next one. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest, Back to the Future part II, and Avengers Infinity War also have great cliffhangers.

    • @greyjedi6430
      @greyjedi6430 Před 3 měsíci +7

      Well we finally got the perfect ending with rise of skywalker the best star wars movie ever made

  • @FVD
    @FVD Před 2 měsíci +1

    Ideas that would have contributed to Lucas's originally planned 9-12 episode saga. Of course he would have been stressed like hell (but having Vader not being Luke's father and Leia not being his sister thus her being revealed later would have been awesome)!

  • @angelcibej349
    @angelcibej349 Před 3 měsíci +3

    That was very interesting ... I was not aware about the financial difficulties that G. Kurtz and I. Kershner have caused :)

  • @stsolomon618
    @stsolomon618 Před 3 měsíci

    Saw this last year in theaters, one of greatest films I ever seen

  • @Concreteowl
    @Concreteowl Před 3 měsíci +2

    Prowse never leaked anything. He was interviewed once for a regional newspaper and told the reporter that the direction of of future stories could go anywhere. He jokingly speculated that Vader could be Luke's father for all he knew. So in a way George ripped him off. Painting Prowse in a bad light is a sign of poor research. George definitely took part and encouraged this. Playing up his accent (which as an actor he could drop) and underplaying his contribution.

  • @JoeyArmstrong2800
    @JoeyArmstrong2800 Před 3 měsíci +3

    Credit to Irvin Kershner who directed Empire. In the wrong hands the film could have been a disaster. Star Wars and Return of the Jedi are not without their problems but Empire is damn near perfect.

  • @sloanlance
    @sloanlance Před 2 měsíci

    I remember reading "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" when I was a teen.

  • @paulbelfrage
    @paulbelfrage Před 2 měsíci +1

    Someone should made a series like The Offer about making Star Wars

  • @kylepatrickmurphy4058
    @kylepatrickmurphy4058 Před 2 měsíci

    Thank you!

  • @HappyBirthdayRoboto
    @HappyBirthdayRoboto Před 3 měsíci +2

    The more I learn about him the more Lucas seems like a guy who has a lot of great ideas but needs a lot of help incorporating them into a story, ideas are all well and good but they should be in service of a good story, even if the story is a bit basic. That said, for my money the original Star Wars trilogy as it was first presented works.

  • @fundhund62
    @fundhund62 Před 2 měsíci +1

    The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite Star Wars movie alongside Attack of the Clones.

  • @VideoHeadMan
    @VideoHeadMan Před 3 měsíci +4

    Still, Kurtz helped Lucas reign in his vision from going too far.

  • @ChristianPierce
    @ChristianPierce Před 3 měsíci +1

    another banger your videos are amazing

  • @nelsonc6173
    @nelsonc6173 Před 3 měsíci +6

    The whole thing with Leia as his sister is really weird considering it started off as a love triangle. It's the really icky part of SW. Never knew how Lucas could reconcile that in his own mind lo!!
    The best part of Empire was hiring a Irvin Kershner to direct who did a truly magnificent job!

  • @TheRealNormanBates
    @TheRealNormanBates Před 5 dny

    7:37 Kermit the Jedi Master here, here to tell you the wonderful news that is The Force.

  • @user-dc3nf7rr7t
    @user-dc3nf7rr7t Před měsícem

    ESB is my favorite of all six (6) movies. Lando Calrissian, being a clone, would have been a clever idea.

  • @onliwankannoli
    @onliwankannoli Před 2 měsíci

    I remember reading Splinter of the Mind’s Eye in the 90’s. It surprised me how different it was than how Star Wars would eventually develop.

  • @Seaby41
    @Seaby41 Před 2 měsíci +1

    The constraints on Lucas appear to have been a part of making Star Wars great

  • @Bam.8228
    @Bam.8228 Před 3 měsíci +4

    I love this channel

  • @timewarpdrive77
    @timewarpdrive77 Před 2 měsíci +1

    btw; the flying mantas in the early draft are more comparable to the manta things the kaminoins use in EP 2

  • @Pocketrocket-pj1us
    @Pocketrocket-pj1us Před měsícem

    Man, Prowse got ready for a life of conventions before the movies were even finished.
    He's a trailblazer, when it comes to stretching out his 15 minutes, turning it in to 35 plus years!
    Good for him but I did meet him at a few conventions and he was not exactly Santa Clause!
    He spent the whole convention, signing his name as, 'David Prowse IS Darth Vader.' lol
    Rumor was, he took insult to someone asking him to sign a photo that had James Earl Jones' signature on it!!!!
    Bit of a Diva, he was :)

  • @vladciobanu7480
    @vladciobanu7480 Před 3 měsíci

    Nice compilation. I'd love to see a different version of the story put on film.

  • @blh708
    @blh708 Před 3 měsíci +3

    Love it!

  • @roselakewood4594
    @roselakewood4594 Před 2 měsíci

    Having watched your previous videos on the topic of 'films that could have been' I've always wondered: how and where do you find some of the scripts behind this stuff?

  • @moviesgalore9947
    @moviesgalore9947 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Next do "The Star Wars from the Journal of the Whills" George had a lot of help in rewriting that version of the script he begged everyone he knew to help him but he didn't give any of the other people shared writing credit. Spielberg was even worse on Close Encounters he had 5 writers helping him all he did was a two page story he never wrote that script but he claimed credit for it he wanted a Written and Directed By credit but he never deserved a Written By credit.

  • @JinKee
    @JinKee Před 2 měsíci +2

    If empire had failed and fox took over can you imagine what would happen to the franchise if it had been treated like Aliens vs Predator?

  • @freddyjosereginomontalvo4667
    @freddyjosereginomontalvo4667 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Im gladd with the movie that we got. 🌍🌟

  • @MisterSouji
    @MisterSouji Před 3 měsíci

    Have you seen the documentary "Empire of Dreams"? It was included as part of the original trilogy dvd box set back in the early 2000's. I beleve it mententions something about Lucas coming up with the whole "I am your father" during the production, as if he hadn't originally planned it. I can't remember exactly what was said, its been years

  • @FeverDev
    @FeverDev Před 2 měsíci +1

    I really appreciate that this wasn't just another hit piece against Lucas, and showed that he really is the reason we have the great Star Wars movies

    • @ncapone87
      @ncapone87 Před 2 měsíci

      Star Wars without George Lucas sucks

  • @mmaviator22
    @mmaviator22 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Alot of ppl give him shit for selling to disney but the truth is he had just had a child, and knew that the sequel trilogy would take 10yrs and didnt want to potentially ruin a marriage and miss that much time, and so he believed that disney would respect his vision and be able to complete it, but we all know how that turned out. And dont forget the massive betrayal of kennedy also didnt help and was the main issue. Im sure we all know he regrets it, but alas, we have the 6 star wars movies to go back to.

  • @yw1971
    @yw1971 Před 2 měsíci

    6:49 - In the fan-remake of TESB there is a 40's black and white version of this scene. Maybe the best one there

  • @schmoab
    @schmoab Před měsícem

    Sometimes you have to bet on yourself! All the ingredients had to come together, though, and George had the touch between 1977-1983.

  • @michaeldriston1513
    @michaeldriston1513 Před 2 měsíci

    Really great breakdown, including the bit about Brackett and her history adapting Chandler. Just shows how amorphous the story really was. All these years later, we all want to believe that Lucas had planned for Luke to be Vader's (Anakin's) son from the jump, but that just wasn't the case. This includes a lot of other elements that later got established (like C3P0 not remembering Obi-Wan [the "mind wipe"] and more. One small complaint... Dagobah is pronouced: "Day-go-bah", not" Dah-go-bah". Both Luke and Obi-Wan pronounce it "Day-go-bah". Not being the pronunciation police, just thought you might want to know.

  • @ncapone87
    @ncapone87 Před 2 měsíci

    It's perfect as is

  • @richardroberts6021
    @richardroberts6021 Před měsícem +1

    I'd heard of Leigh brackett But until now I didn't know about all her contributions to that first draft. this was very interesting and really fills out that alternate history I'd wondered about. ultimately I think the revisions to Bracketts screenplay were for the best, But I think my one regret from how it all panned out is they never followed through with Luke's sister on the other side of the Galaxy. that would have been an amazing trilogy if he'd made it in the '80s, And while I don't think return of the Jedi is a bad movie, I think the whole thing with Leia and Luke being siblings was pretty unsatisfying, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that

  • @maxhunter3574
    @maxhunter3574 Před 2 měsíci

    I have the splinter of the minds eye comic somewhere. Great story, slightly different than described here though

  • @loftlegacy
    @loftlegacy Před 2 měsíci

    As a kid, pre-ESB I remember being aware that the next film COULD be Splinter in the Mind’s Eye. Maybe as there was so littlecSW media beyond the film and the Marvel comics.